Multifocal system using adaptive lenses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021373414-A1
Application number	US-202117399735-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 11, 2021
Priority date	Nov 1, 2018
Publication date	Dec 2, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device is provided. The device includes a first lens assembly controllable to switch between a first plurality of optical powers. The first lens assembly includes a plurality of directly optically coupled lenses, and is configured to converge or diverge a light transmitted therethrough. The device also includes a second lens assembly coupled with the first lens assembly, and controllable to switch between a second plurality of optical powers that are opposite to the first plurality of optical powers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device, comprising:
a first lens assembly controllable to switch between a first plurality of optical powers, wherein the first lens assembly comprises a plurality of directly optically coupled lenses, and is configured to converge or diverge a light transmitted therethrough; and a second lens assembly coupled with the first lens assembly, and controllable to switch between a second plurality of optical powers that are opposite to the first plurality of optical powers.

2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a wave plate disposed between the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the wave plate is configured to convert a first light having a first polarization received from the first lens assembly to a second light propagating toward the second lens assembly, the second light having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one lens of the plurality of directly optically coupled lenses is switchable between a non-zero optical power state and a zero optical power state.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one lens is a circular polarization dependent active liquid crystal (“LC”) lens.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the at least one lens is configured to operate as a converging lens for a circularly polarized incident light having a predetermined handedness, and as a diverging lens for a circularly polarized incident light having a handedness that is opposite to the predetermined handedness.

7 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one lens is a linear polarization dependent active liquid crystal (“LC”) lens.

8 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one lens is a polarization independent active liquid crystal (“LC”) lens.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the directly optically coupled lenses in the first lens assembly are first lenses, and the second lens assembly comprises a plurality of directly optically coupled second lenses.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein:
at least one first lens is switchable between a non-zero optical power state and a zero optical power state, and at least one second lens is switchable between a non-zero optical power state and a zero optical power state.

11 . The device of claim 10 , wherein both of the at least one first lens and the at least one second lens are circular polarization dependent active liquid crystal (“LC”) lenses, linear polarization dependent active LC lenses, or polarization independent active LC lenses.

12 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one first lens is substantially identical to the at least one second lens.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the second lens assembly has the same number of lenses as the first lens assembly.

14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first lens assembly includes a passive lens.

15 . A method, comprising:
receiving a first light by a first lens assembly controllable to switch between a first plurality of optical powers, the first lens assembly comprising a plurality of directly optically coupled lenses; and converging or diverging the first light, by the first lens assembly, while transmitting the first light to a second lens assembly controllable to switch between a second plurality of optical powers that are opposite to the first plurality of optical powers.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
converging or diverging the first light, by the first lens assembly, while transmitting the first light to a wave plate disposed between the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly; and converting, by the wave plate, the first light into a second light propagating towards the second lens assembly.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining an optical power of the second lens assembly; and determining, based on the determined optical power of the second lens assembly, an optical power for the first lens assembly, wherein the optical power of the first lens assembly is a first optical power, and the optical power of the second lens assembly is a second optical power opposite to the first optical power.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
converging or diverging the first light, by the first lens assembly having the first optical power, while transmitting the first light to the wave plate; and diverging or converging the second light, by the second lens assembly having the second optical power, while transmitting the second light.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein at least one lens of the plurality of directly optically coupled lenses in the first lens assembly is switchable between a non-zero optical power state and a zero optical power state, and the method further comprises:
configuring an optical state of the at least one first lens to provide the first optical power.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the at least one lens is one of a circular polarization dependent active liquid crystal (“LC”) lens, a linear polarization dependent active LC lens, or a polarization independent active LC lens.

Assignees

• Facebook Tech Llc

Inventors

• Yaroshchuk Oleg
• Wang Junren
• Lu Lu

Classifications

• G02F2203/07

  Polarisation dependent · CPC title

• G02F2203/06

  Polarisation independent · CPC title

• G02F1/294

  Variable focal length devices · CPC title

• G02F1/13471

  in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells (G02F1/13475 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/31

  Digital deflection, {i.e. optical switching}(G02F1/33 takes precedence) · CPC title